Seriously?
by AbaraiSuki
Summary: rated M for later chapters. Naruto takes a chance on his best friend at the first year anniversary of the end of the war.
1. Seriously?

**A few notes: Firstly, I had a mental block and several failed internet searches to find the right word to describe Naruto's outfit, so just let that go for me when you get there please. Secondly, this is much longer than I usually write per chapter so IF I continue, do not expect this. Also, I am aware that this is OOC to a degree. However, I am operating under the assumption that they will mature a bit by this point in time and that certain events would allow for this behavior. Also, I'm not overly fond of Sakura's character, so in order to write this, I had to let a little bit of her bitchiness go. Consider it a fair warning. There is a brief mention of other couples in here, I did that more as a sign of them growing up, not because I think all of who I chose was a good idea. I'm still personally unsatisfied with most Naruto couple choices. Finally, this may or may not end up as a one shot, that depends on reviews and how easily I find it to continue the story. **

_Tonight is finally the night of the festival_, Naruto thought in excitement.

Naruto and Sakura lay next to each other in the grass staring at the sky. Naruto lay sprawled out, much like if he had been mid jumping jack and then put flat on his back. Sakura lay with her knees slightly bent and her hands by her side. It was here that they had begun talking earnestly. It was the first summer since the conclusion of all the bullshit they had dealt with since Sasuke left. Sasuke had died a year ago to the day after redeeming himself by saving everyone and ending the war in the process. The two friends had come together this day to reminisce and begin a new life of focusing on the positive things in the past, forgiving everyone involved including themselves.

It was a long day, on the hill in the grass, with a lot of heart breaking subjects brought up. They lay Sasuke's memory to rest, overlooking his flaws and settling on his final act as how they would remember him. They apologized to each other, which was really hard for them to do at first. Naruto wondered if this had gotten him any closer to winning Sakura's heart. He knew that she loved him he just didn't know if _she_ knew.

Naruto had really calmed down in the past year. At first everyone thought it was a phase. And to an extent that was true. He was just as capable as always of making a scene, wearing everyone out and irritating the crap out of Sakura. But most of it was mock irritation at this point on her part. Much like a parent trying to be angry with a child for doing something inappropriate, but the parent thinks its funny and so isn't quite sure how to respond. Not that Sakura was mothering Naruto, she had learned to let some things go, although she occasionally slipped up. He was who he was and she had accepted that.

In the past year of rebuilding, repairing relationships with other nations and really working to provide for the orphans, Naruto had been lenient on Sakura when it came to asking for a date. They had people to help and things to do, but he made sure she knew he was there. Sakura had never doubted him. He had noticed her changing his attitude towards him slowly. It started as less shouting and had turned into lots of laughter, and hugs hello. Today was his idea actually. He had approached her one day after working on another housing unit for the orphaned kids and asked her to come to dinner with him so they could talk. She agreed, sensing the mood he was in and realizing this was important. He had asked her to engage in today's talk.

Part of today's talk was to put the past behind them. Get all of their collective shit on the table and sort through it together. They had become so close in the past year. Naruto knew things were going in his favor. They were always together, at work they were on the same project and outside of work, the sparred together and ate together. They had been working so hard lately.

Naruto had been the Jounin in charge of most of the 'prevent another Sasuke' movement AKA the help the orphans mission. He had single handedly built, unless you count shadow clones, most of the buildings for them. Sakura had helped provide routine check ups and Hinata had come up with the idea of mentoring. The rookie 9 with the addition of team Gai, were taking turns checking in on the kids, playing with them, helping provide food and clean clothes but mostly they were providing friendships and unbreakable bonds. There was not a single word of complaint when they agreed to the mission, preventing Sasukes and to an extent, Narutos, was a priority so far as the elders saw it. The group had whole-heartedly agreed and had been thankful for some rest from battle.

Lee in particular had been enthusiastic about ensuring they had enough outlets for all their youthful energy. The kids thought he was funny, for the most part. Neji, who had really warmed up personality wise, was great with the kids. He even once let the girls braid his hair. Much to Hinata's amusement. Kiba and Akamaru were also a big hit, especially after Kiba had brought a litter of puppies for the kids. Tsunade thought that having them learn to take care of something would be a good way to keep them from becoming heartless. She was right. There were 9 puppies in the litter with promises of more in the future. Several children were responsible for 1 puppy, they collaborated on names and shared duties. Kiba was helping them learn respect and how to communicate (sorta).

Naruto and Sakura had talked at length about the changes they had seen in those kids. From scared, terrified and angry, to happy and loving again. The girls in the group were particularly touched by how much the guys were enjoying taking care of the kids. Collective thoughts of dating and the future were stirred up because of this mission. This was spurred by Hinata's being named heiress again and in Hyuuga tradition being betrothed to another Hyuuga, but outside of that tradition, she abolished the branch house but requested a previously labeled branch member as her future husband. Neji hadn't expected to be picked but they were so close by this point, that he had been pleased. There was no romance yet, but there was a spark. The wedding wasn't for a while anyway, there was time for them to catch fire.

Naruto and Sakura had talked about how they felt about an arranged marriage for those two. Both had agreed that while the concept of arranged marriage was mildly repulsive to them, that in this case, it was a good match. Especially since neither Neji or Hinata had once complained about it. Sakura was amazed at the depth of their conversation and that he had not once made an advance towards her during this type of talk. Naruto was too busy scheming to start that nonsense now.

So far as other couples were concerned, Gaara had officially requested Shikamaru marry Temari as "an act of diplomacy" but they all knew that was bullshit. They were perfect for each other but they were too damn stubborn to see it. Gaara fixed that when the Nara had agreed- on the condition that Temari would come willingly without coercion, there was no coercion: truthfully it had been her idea. TenTen had been hanging out with Lee a lot, he made her laugh and people were speculating. Ino had finally given in to Choji's advances and Kiba, well Kiba had fallen for Hinata's little sister. No one minded in the Hyuuga household either. That left a few loose ends including the two in the grass.

Sakura was starting to resist the idea of Naruto as a love interest less and less. She was dazing off as Naruto was talking, just taking in the sound of his voice, thinking about how he looked under the waterfall…

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto said for the fifth time in an attempt to get her back from dreamland. He wondered where she had been and what she saw to make her grin like that.

"What?" Sakura said shaking her head. "Sorry Naruto"

"What were you grinning at?" He asked, the devilish grin of his not well hidden, but she still wasn't paying full attention.

"You?" She said with just enough emphasis on it being a question that he thought she was being a wise ass and not telling the actual truth.

"Not what I meant!" He said as he sat up to look at her, all haze blinked out of her eyes.

"What was the question?" she asked, faking forgetfulness and hoping he would buy it. He did.

"Bah! Never mind." He said smiling as he looked away from her.

"You know Sakura, I'm glad we could talk like this today" he said in a serious tone, which is why he was looking away.

"Yeah me too. I was surprised when you suggested we do this, but I think it really helped" she said as she sat up, pulling both her knees to one side and keeping a lot of weight on one arm.

"We ought to head back soon so we can get ready" she suggested reluctantly. As much as she was looking forward to the festivities, she was enjoying the peace on the hillside next to Naruto. A cool breeze blew and tossed his hair gently as it passed by, it was a lifesaver in this heat. He inhaled and caught a hint of Sakura's smell on the wind. He didn't think it was perfume, more the smell of whatever she washed her hair with. He stood up slowly as he had become a little stiff sitting on the ground for a while. _I'm to young to start grunting when I get up_ he thought to himself as he reached absentmindedly for Sakura's hand to help her up. She took it, much to his surprise. She had taken his hand because she was also stiff from sitting funny. As she stood she realized, to her dismay, that her right foot and hand were asleep.

"Shit" she said as she started to tilt back towards the grass, _A more dainty woman would say "oh"_ she thought as she cussed her foul mouth, something that had never bothered her before. But she had started to wonder if her language ever bothered Naruto and his image of her. She kind of doubted it at this point.

Naruto looked confused for a split second and then gracefully caught her as she fell towards him. Had a passerby seen them they would have thought they had caught a romantic moment. When Sakura felt herself safe in his arms she blushed. Naruto grinned like a madman at her reaction_, it wasn't violence, this is good!_, he thought to himself. He had been planning tonight for a long time and today had been an excellent start.

Sakura found herself drifting off again at the feel of his warm side against hers and his strong arm supporting her. Naruto saw that goofy ass smile on her face again and had a moment of concern, _what if she's snapped?_ They had certainly been through enough for that to be a legitimate possibility. He gently patted her face and said

"Hey, Sakura? Come in Sakura?" His touch on her cheek pulled her back to reality. She quickly stammered,

"Mmmmy foot fell assssleep, I'm sorry."

"Thank you would be a better reply than I'm sorry Sakura-chan" Naruto said, wondering again where her mind was lately.

"Thanks." She said as he reluctantly pushed her away from him and held the sides of her arms tentatively, worried she might not balance yet. To his surprise there was no violence again, she tested the waters and nodded so he would let her go, which he did.

"I'll come pick you up at your place for the festival later Sakura?" he said with a final hint of doubt that she had agreed to any of this. True that most of her anger had dissipated with Sasuke's departure from this world. But most wasn't all, and even some was dangerous with her brutal punches.

"Yeah" she said with the shyest smile he had _ever_ seen on her since they were kids and Sasuke had kinda, sorta complemented her.

Naruto shook his head gently to try to make sense of this as they shot off in opposite directions. She headed home to get ready, traditional Yukata and required more work than her normal pull and go clothing. She also wanted a barely warm bath to wash away the sweat from the day and plenty of time to do something different with her now shoulder length hair. Ino had agreed to help, but sometimes the girl was rough enough to make Sakura shudder at the thought. As strong a ninja as she was, having her scalp clawed and her hair ripped out by Ino wasn't her idea comfortable.

Naruto had gone to make sure the final preparations were in place and to demand Kakashi show him how to wear his damn outfit. There were no zippers on this dark blue monstrosity and he would shred it if he got stuck in it again. He swore he would shred it. Kakashi wasn't his first choice but when he thought of the different options he figured Neji was the only other sensible choice, but he dreaded seeing him and Hinata do their little nearly in love flirty shit. He _was_ happy for them, but the aura around them was mildly sickening. Shikamaru, another engaged man, had wholeheartedly agreed.

_Bah, engaged_ he thought to himself, drawing that last word out in his mind, _whatever happened to picking on each other and playing in the sand… I guess it's been a while hasn't it. _There was a long internal pause. _This will work. This really has to work._ The last thought was without desperation or fear of failure, even though he knew the latter was a possibility.

Eyes that had stumbled upon them in the grass and had watched for some time in secret, squinted in a smile as the young adults left. Tsunade had played a major part in making sure Naruto's request was accepted and taken care of for tonight. She had known, for longer than her apprentice had, what Sakura's true feelings were. Naruto's had _never_ been a secret, and for a while there, neither were Sakura's. Hers were just aimed in the wrong direction. _What a good thing it was that Sasuke had never returned her feelings_ Tsunade thought, as she sat down not far from where the kids had just been. _We could have lost her too._ The thought was unbearable.

The sun was getting heavy in the sky as Uzumaki climbed the final step to Sakura's door. She had had her own apartment since the war had ended. She said it was to help boost the economy, but he thought it was just because her parents were a little too much to handle in the aftermath. He had always had all the time in the world to himself without having others fawn over his every thought. Her parents were really great parents, he supposed without having any real substance to compare them to, but she was an adult now and needed to think things through. Not talk about every _single_ detail.

Hers was a small but elegant apartment. It had a nice view, not that any view in Konoha was really not nice. It was two bedrooms with a spacious living room area, a small but useable kitchen and a small space for dining. He wondered why she had taken a two bedroom apartment when it was only her, but if it made her happy, he didn't really question it. He liked his tiny little place, sort of. It reminded him of where he had come from. He had been offered larger places because he had obtained a hero like status after the war. And he was thinking of taking one, but it had never felt right to him. After all he had been through, he had learned to listen when something didn't feel right. In the past this thought would have been followed by _I should have just beat the shit out of Sasuke before he left and none of this would have happened_ with an internal argument following that thought about how much would have actually happened had Sasuke not left. But after today he didn't feel the need. In fact, the Uchiha could rest in peace and Naruto need not think of him much more after today. _Tonight feels right_ he noted as he neared the final step.

Naruto gave one final uncomfortable tug at his clothing and knocked on her door. From inside he heard rustling, soft cuss words, a firm "No!" in Sakura's voice and then Ino's voice calling out in a sing song voice "She'll be right there".

_Ino's here?_ He thought before he remembered that girls clothing was more complicated and she would probably need help. Shit, he had needed help and he only had the one layer. _ I wonder if she threatened to shred her clothing too_ he thought absent-mindedly as he waited. Without much time passing the door opened slowly and Sakura was all but thrown out the door by a hand that looked very Ino like. He didn't have much against Ino but he didn't like seeing Sakura pushed around.

It was then that he looked at Sakura and he had a moment of panic. She was stunning. Like, really stunning. Nothing he had thought he knew about her beauty had been true before, he thought he felt a nosebleed coming so he gave a little sniff as he raised his eyes to meet hers. She was wearing a light blue Yukata with a purple floral design. An obi made of a much deeper pink than her hair adorned her waist. Her hair had been painstakingly done with decorative chopsticks and, what Naruto assumed was a lot of time and restarting. Sakura was feeling unusually like a woman first and a ninja second in this outfit and had her eyes cast toward the ground. She was also embarrassed by Ino's insistence on the very slight makeup. It was really out of character for Sakura to be wearing the troublesome stuff and a small shouting match preceded the application of it. She wasn't sure the makeup even had any color to it, just a slight shimmer. Naruto didn't see the makeup, he just saw her eyes meet his and that her eyes seemed to be glittering like the stars that had _better_ come out tonight.

As Sakura lifted her eyes to meet his, her breath caught. He was wearing loose black pants that fit at the waist, they were formal and yet, the same style was often used in poorer fabric quality to train in, by normal ninja anyway. His shirt was a subtly shimmering, dark blue wrap style with very open flowing sleeves. It was decorated in silver thread creating a pattern that Sakura couldn't quite make out from where she was standing.

"They are sakura blossoms Sakura" he said smiling at her as she looked back up into his eyes.

"You look amazing Sakura-chan." He said smiling a manlier- less 'I'm getting ramen' smile than he normally gave. Sakura had never seen that particular smile before.

"Let's go, we'll be late." Naruto said, to an all too quiet Sakura. He wasn't used to being the only one of them to talk.

They walked together at a leisurely pace towards the center of town. They met their friends for dinner on a wooden bench under a starry sky lit with little white lights hung from strings that were strung all over town. Everyone had a great time eating and talking together. But as the meals began to finish, couples started wandering off to different parts of the festival. Soon it was Naruto and Sakura's turn to vanish into the crowd, leaving TenTen and Lee at the table discussing a plan of attack for the festival games. She had caught Lee's energy and enthusiasm lately. Much to Neji's dismay.

Naruto and Sakura didn't play too many games. They just wandered the streets, watching smiles and reveling in the laughter they heard. Tonight was so much different than a year ago. Their world was finally at peace.

As the night began growing darker Naruto grabbed Sakura's hand and started leading her away from the noisiest part of town. Sakura had a mild reaction to her hand being held, but again no violence.

"What…? Naruto? Let go!" She protested without menace or really caring if he did let go, it was just her normal reaction.

"Nope!" He said, she could_ hear_ his smile in that word.

"Naruto…" she said in a more traditional Sakura way. It held a distinct warning and promise of pain if he was not careful.

"I have something to show you" he said quickly. Hoping her curiosity would nip the punch in the bud.

"Oh". She said sounding surprised.

_Really?_ Naruto thought, _surprise is the reaction I'm getting at this point in the evening_.

He continued to walk at a brisk pace; keeping her off balance enough in her unusual footwear to make sure her concentration was on that and not his hand or where they were headed. He had learned caution with her, not that he always utilized it, but tonight was too important.

They came to a stop in complete darkness facing away from town.

"We won't be able to see the fireworks from here" Sakura almost whined.

"Just trust me a sec, ok?" He said as he pulled her closer to him.

"Naruto what the hell are you doing?" She raised an eyebrow though he couldn't see it.

"Look here damn it, I have a surprise, and I need you to not trip for a second. So _come here!"_ his tone wasn't disrespectful, not really. But it had an edge of irritation, like perhaps she had been pushing him a little far if he had something to give her. _I really ought to be nice_, she thought. Naruto felt her come closer and he daintily picked her up and set her on something wooden, a few inches off the ground. She was about to say something when he joined her and maneuvered her a little away from what she thought was the edge. _Good, I don't want to fall again_ she thought, though she wasn't entirely against the idea if he was there to catch her.

A few moments passed by in silence and when Sakura couldn't stand it anymore she began to speak up.

"Naruto, what the…" Sakura's words caught in her throat as the first of the fireworks lit up the night sky behind them. What she saw in front of her was the most beautiful and enchanting sight she had ever seen. They were standing in a wooden gazebo in the middle of what looked like a crystal forest that had lit up in a thousand colors when the fireworks shot off.

"Woa" she said, barely above a whisper.

"Do you like it?" he asked, grinning from ear to ear from her reaction.

"How? Why?" she asked quickly as she turned around to capture every moment of the reflecting fireworks. _This is magic_ she thought.

"How? Yamato took care of the gazebo and the trees. I got a little creative with an old friend and we developed this ice to cover the trees. Isn't it pretty?"

"It's…amazing Naruto." She said still trying to see in every direction at once.

It went dark for a few minutes as the fire techs prepared for another round.

"You didn't answer the why part" Sakura said, guessing at the reason and feeling her heart race in response.

"Because, Sakura…" _this is it_ he thought taking a deep breath.

"Because I love you. Always have. Always will." There was a brief pause as a single shot went up into the air, a tester to make sure everything was good to go.

"Sakura will you…" He was doubly interrupted as a burst of fireworks shot into the air with new colors and shapes, but that was lost on him. Because his sentence was cut off by Sakura's lips crushing his. There was a moment of surprise before he reacted and wrapped his arms around her small waist, pulling her closer. The kiss was like the fireworks reflecting off their ice crystal forest. It was passionate and beautiful. It was all of the love they had had for each other bursting out at once. Naruto felt her pull slightly away, and look up into dancing dark blue eyes when she said,

"Yes."

He chuckled.

"But I haven't asked anything yet" He said still grinning.

"Does it matter?" She said as she twisted in his arms to watch the spectacular sight in front of her.

"What if I had a ring?" he asked with his cheek resting on her hair, chopsticks be damned.

There was a pause as they watched the ice sparkle, like a thousand diamonds shimmering.

"What if?" she replied so quietly she didn't think he had heard her.

"Seriously?" he asked, pulling her closer to him and turning her around to face him.

"Seriously." She said with a slight question in her voice as if he might _actually_ have been thinking of proposing marriage instead of dating. Which wasn't completely out of the range of possibilities for him.

Naruto grinned, his best 12 year old self grin. He picked her up and twirled her around, like he had always wanted to try without the risk of internal bleeding. As he set her down and the finale of the evenings fireworks began, he rummaged in his pocket for an item he hadn't thought he could use and produced something small and shiny and said,

"Seriously"

And without hesitation, Sakura exhaled a "yes" right before the kissing started again.

**Author's time to talk about the story: This story was actually conceived and written in one day. When I woke up this morning, at the crack of dawn (against my will) and went outside I saw something very much like a crystal forest. We had an ice storm and every tree branch was encased in ice. Despite my mild agitation at being up so early I was really captivated by the view and spent the entire hour drive happily enjoying the scenery as I started getting this idea. It's different than I had intended it to be because I just really didn't want to deal with negative emotions… the near complete lack of drama stems from reading a fanfic last night that was so overloaded with it that it actually kind of upset me. So here is something, nice and simple. I don't DO drama in my stories cause I don't like tension. No other reason. I hope you enjoyed this. **


	2. The Window

A/N: Thank you all so much for all of your support on this! I had truly thought I would make it a one shot, but let's be honest: I'm a sucker for your praise. So, here you go. Also, a big thanks to Japboix1 for reading, editing and listening to different ideas. (His stuff is good, go read it!)

The Window

It couldn't have been a more beautiful day for moving. The sun was shining brightly; the wind blew playfully, giving much needed relief from the high summer heat. Everyone in town seemed to be happier today than they were yesterday. But perhaps their vision was clouded from the night before. Last night, Sakura had agreed to life and love with Naruto, for eternity. They spent the night at Sakura's place talking about the future and enjoying the start of what it meant to be able to kiss each other whenever they wanted. They fell asleep with their foreheads pressed together, hands intertwined. The night hadn't been entirely innocent, but they decided that the big night would come after they had just spent some time being together. Naruto didn't mind at all, he had finally gotten his dream girl, it would come in due time.

They woke up at the early gray dawn to get started. They planned on emptying Naruto's apartment and then Naruto was determined to tell everyone he could possibly find about the good news. They did have to make a stop at the orphanage today, but they would go together and both would wonder secretly what their children would look like, if they had any.

It wasn't noon yet as they were carrying the last set of boxes back towards Sakura's apartment- no it was _theirs_ now. Naruto had never had much, and he didn't feel any regrets at turning in his key and leaving that part of his life behind him. Especially considering what he was getting in return. A life with Sakura was all he wanted.

They weren't walking particularly fast on their way home, there was no need. But as they were strolling along they heard a familiar voice shout at them,

"What are you two up to?" Shikamaru shouted as they passed under his favorite spot. He sat up on his elbows to get a better look at them.

Shikamaru immediately sensed something was up as he looked back and forth between them, he noticed Sakura's shy smile and Naruto's larger than usual grin.

"No way…" he said as he put the pieces together when he saw sun glint off of something shiny near Sakura. He saw the ring, really saw what they had been doing with the boxes and grinned.

"No shit…Congratulations guys!" he paused briefly and added,

"Sakura you weren't threatened were you?" he asked really hoping he didn't need to rough Naruto up, it would be such a pain.

"Hey!" Naruto said mildly insulted as Sakura chuckled.

"Nope. No threat Shikamaru." She said smiling at the question and Naruto's facial expression.

"Good to hear"he sighed and decided he needed to get up and tell Temari before she heard it from someone else. _Girls are such a pain_ he thought as he stood up and prepared to jump down. He landed too close to Naruto on purpose. Naruto, who wasn't paying attention to Shikamaru, was startled and forced into a quick stumble backwards that nearly landed him on his rear end. The Nara grinned at Naruto's reaction and at his ability to still be startled by simple things. _Some amazing ninja _he thought as his grin widened.

"Shikamaru!" Naruto shouted. But he had already started running, he turned around to shout back,

"I've got to go tell Temari or she'll never forgive me." It was the truth, sort of. Shikamaru wasn't really sure what Temari would or would not forgive but he decided playing it safe now would spare him a whole lot of trouble later.

They picked their things back up and continued down the street. They hadn't gotten very far when the sound of running approached them fast, within seconds two people blew past them and just as the wind and dust billowed up at them from the unidentified runners, they heard them stop, turn around and start running back. Lee and TenTen appeared in front of them, covered in sweat and smiling from ear to ear.

"What the hell?" Naruto and Sakura said in near unison as they looked at their idiot friends.

"We were having a race!" TenTen said with so much enthusiasm dripping from her words that Sakura could feel the sweat drops forming.

"Yes!" Lee said punching the air, "A race for our youth!"

"There's something wrong with you" Sakura said quietly but in good humor.

From around the corner in front of them appeared Neji, out of air and obviously not amused.

"Oh there's definitely something wrong with them" Neji said as he approached slowly, like he thought it was a catchable condition. The way he was eyeing TenTen and Lee, high irritation plus extreme caution made Sakura wonder what exactly they had been up to all morning.

"Neji!" TenTen whined loudly causing Naruto's eyes to widen. _Was she always like this?_

Neji held up his hand to stop her, still maintaining a safe distance.

"TenTen, Hinata-Hime needs to talk to you about something. So would you _please_ stop running away?" You could tell his patience was running low.

"Oh…Hinata?" she said literally bouncing on the balls of her feet. "I wonder why?" She said with a thumbnail in between her teeth. She was chewing in time with her bouncing. _Did she used to do this too?_ Naruto wondered, realizing how different this person seemed to him.

"Lee!" Naruto shouted, feeling like he might miss his chance to brag,

"Look Lee!" he said as he grabbed Sakura's left hand and thrust it in his face, surprising Sakura and throwing her a little off balance.

Lee saw it and leaped into the air shouting a victory yelp while TenTen and Neji leaned in. TenTen grabbed Sakura by both hands when she saw the ring and started jumping up and down, nearly smacking Neji in the face with the first jump. His eyes narrowed.

"Oh, oh, oh! Congratulations guys. This is so exciting!" TenTen said mid bounce.

"Thank you!" Sakura said while she was subjected to a constant jerking motion.

"Tenten! I'm going to be sick if you don't let go of me soon" Sakura said as she thrown around like a rag doll by TenTen's grip. _Do not hurt her, do not hurt her_ Sakura chanted internally as she contemplated using some of her famous strength to free herself from her friends death-grip.

"Go. See. Hinata." Neji said in a voice that dripped danger. Lee grinned, grabbed TenTen by the hand and they took off like rockets back towards the Hyuuga home. And then they were gone, leaving only dust and three worn out friends in their wake. Sakura rubbed her arms and inspected for damage.

"Son of a bitch… they are multiplying." Naruto said while rubbing the back of his head.

"They are WHAT?" Neji exclaimed in very real disgust. Sakura was grinning.

"NO! I…I just mean that there are two really energetic people now…" Naruto said backing towards Sakura. She giggled at his reaction, knowing full well that he could kick Neji's ass if he wanted to.

"I'm going to gentle fist them both…I swear it" Neji said as he rested his hands on his knees and bent over a little.

"So, you guys finally did it huh?" Neji said as he nodded towards Sakura's ring.

"NO! We didn't do anything" Naruto said blushing like mad. Neji smiled the most devious smile he had ever managed before in his life at this reaction.

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed. "He meant getting engaged you idiot" although she was blushing too. Neji took one look at the two of them and started to laugh.

"Uh, huh. Wait til Hinata hears this." He turned to leave, still smiling and congratulated them both before taking off at a jog towards his betrothed.

"I guess it isn't going to be as difficult as I thought to find everyone." Naruto said as he bent to pick up his half of the boxes.

"I wonder what Kakashi and Tsunade will say?" Sakura wondered out loud,

"Oh and I can't _wait_ to tell Ino!" Naruto really smiled when she said it that way, it was further proof that it was real and Sakura was happy about this. It made his chest swell with pride.

They made it all the way to their apartment without further interruptions. The place looked a little strange and crowded with boxes strewn all over the place. They unpacked a few boxes before heading out to the orphanage. The rest could wait until later. Naruto had his important things unpacked. He had another 'holy shit' moment when he put his clothes in the closet next to hers. It made it somehow more real. She stumbled upon him staring into the closet, a hanger in hand and a smile on his face that could light up the whole town.

"What?" she said as she leaned against the doorframe, smiling at him.

"Sakura" he breathed out, looking at her in a very appraising way.

"_What_?" She repeated with warmth in her voice as she started walking towards him, intending to help him with his last few things. He looked around the room and then straight into her eyes.

"You. Us. _This_." He said as he began to move. In a fluid motion he had stood up, wrapped his arms around her waist and pushed her backwards until her back was pressed into the wall. One hand on the back of her head, the other curled around her waist. His mouth found hers as she let out a small exhale from the force of coming in contact with the wall. She didn't hit hard, but it had surprised her. He had started the kiss with fire in his eyes and she with confusion. Within seconds her hands were wrapping around his head, pulling him closer to her. He grunted with enthusiasm and opened her mouth with his as he began to explore it with his tongue. She answered back by pulling on him so hard it hurt, but he certainly wasn't going to complain. _She_ could hurt him if she wanted. Naruto's hands had traveled and were now getting close to unexplored territory as the couple felt an unusual breeze and heard,

"Sakura! How did it go last night with Na-ru…to!... HOLY SHIT!" Ino had come in through the window again, even though Sakura had asked her a thousand times to knock it off. She imagined though, that after this, the behavior would stop.

NOTE: The addition of Lee and TenTen is solely because I think it is funny. I have an image of a young father trying to keep up with two energetic and troublesome young kids (like toddler to early grade school age) and this is the type of dynamic I am aiming for with Neji and this couple.


	3. A Moment

* Hey guys, I'm really sorry it took so long for me to update and that this is so short. I ended up getting stuck on this chapter for a REALLY long time and decided to just give you what I've got and I'll figure out what to do later. And I'd like to offer my sincerest thanks to one of my dearest friends, Japboix1, who also happens to read, edit and help with my stories.

There was a moment: A moment of silence, indecision, fury and horror. The moment between Ino arriving and Sakura acting would be a memorable moment for many people, including those not present. Naruto stood frozen, caught between embarrassment at being caught and the strong desire to show off the fact that he had finally won. Sakura, however, was caught between fury at having been interrupted and the strong desire to make Ino regret it. The second option suited Sakura's mood far better.

Sakura's hand reached out slowly to grab Naruto's shirt, almost as if she were about to pull him to her. He looked at her alarmed, unsure of what his role was supposed to be. Ino hadn't moved, but her mouth hung wide open and her eyes were unblinking. Without warning, Sakura pounced on Naruto. Pounced was really the only word for it, attack would have worked too, but it wasn't violent. Naruto suddenly found himself flat on his back with Sakura kissing him frantically. As happy as he was, he also found himself confused by the glint in her eyes. Confused and just a tad bit weary. This was Sakura after all and she was known to get violent. Ino had a tendency to set her off.

With a strange gasping sound, Ino jumped up and nearly flew out of the window. When she landed on the ground with a gentle thud, both Naruto and Sakura had their ears tilted her way. They heard her shouting,

"Kiba! Your never going to believe this...Choji! I need you! " The further away she got the fainter her voice was, but she must have really been putting some effort into these shouts,

"This is BIG. Really big! WHERE ARE YOU GUYS!" And that was the last they heard of her shouts.

Sakura looked down at Naruto who was still pinned under her, her hand still held him by the shirt. She let him go as she muttered under her breath. Naruto, whose face had been slowly turning the color of the setting sun, grinned like a mad-man. So, he was now a tool in the Sakura vs Ino war. He liked it. He sat up, as much as he could with Sakura the way she was, and pulled her into the tightest hug he could manage.

"Na…Naruto!" She exclaimed as she felt the strength of the hug. She was confused.

He pulled back, holding the sides of her arms and smiled.

"You can use me as revenge against Ino any time Sakura-chan!" He said sounding as excited as he had when they had been both assigned to team 7. Sakura laughed as she began to stand, offering a hand to Naruto to help him up.

They heard a soft whooshing noise and what sounded like a muffled fight that ended quickly. Sakura knew instinctively what she would see when she turned around. She turned slowly, in quick jerking motions with a look that would normally have sent Naruto running. When she turned to face the window she saw 3 sets of eyes staring back at her. Ino, Choji and Kiba were peering over the edge of the window. Choji and Kiba to see what Ino had been going on about and Ino because she couldn't help herself.

Naruto, who had taken her hand to stand up found himself in a particularly vulnerable position. He was still on the floor, knees bent in anticipation of being pulled to his feet. He wasn't sure what was coming, violence or more crazed kisses. He knew which he would prefer but he had no intention of speaking until the demonic gleam left Sakura's eyes.

"Naruto". It was said in the exact manner that usually preceded him getting his ass handed to him. His intention was to look up at her and not speak but when he saw she wasn't looking at him he realized he would have to man up and answer.

"Y-yes? Sakura-chan?" He would have been backing away but she still had his hand.

"Will you do something for me?" Her voice was oozing danger.

"S-sure" He was afraid to agree to _anything_ but he was more afraid of letting her know there were a few things he wasn't willing to agree to. He was within range.

"Would you go in to the other room for a minute?" She remained unmoving, eyes locked on the window.

"I can do that." An escape! he would be a fool to not take it.

"Thanks." As he scrambled out of the room, he heard her knuckles crack and three very quick thuds. He assumed they had tried to escape but Sakura was fast and very, very strong. Even though he couldn't see the brawl, the banging made him cringe. It was 3 vs 1, but he had no doubts who would win. He wondered who would administer the first aid if Sakura refused.

As the noise drifted into the room he sighed and turned to some of his boxes. This could take a while, and this way he could have most of his stuff put away in the rest of the apartment by the time Sakura had gotten the violence out of her system.


	4. Wedding

*Hi guys! Sorry for the long wait. I write more when I'm really into the anime and I'm very disenchanted with Naruto right now. I didn't want to force this so that's why it took me so long and it's still short, sorry Hope you enjoy it anyway!

Wedding

"Naruto!" Sakura exclaimed nearing frustration levels that used to result in bodily harm.

He gave her a sheepish grin and continued to resist.

"You are going to make me late!" She was close to throttling him even though she had been making a conscious effort to stop doing that to anyone since the window incident…which had resulted in hospitalizations.

"But Sakura-chan!" He whined in the perfect imitation of his ten year old self.

Sakura's eyes narrowed and she gave him the best 'you're in danger' look she could manage. He gulped and finally settled down enough to let her help. _I hate fancy clothes_ he thought, not daring to risk saying it out loud.

Sakura looked amazing in a light blue kimono with light silver flowers embroidered all over. Naruto's current nemesis was dark blue with dark silver flowers- it was the same outfit he wore the night he proposed- out of necessity since it was the only formal clothing he owned, a problem that Sakura was hell bent on solving. This afternoon was the Hyuuga wedding followed by an entire evening of merriment. Sakura was playing a part in the wedding, as were all of their friends. It was a twist on traditional weddings to bring in the new era among the Hyuuga clan. This also meant that Naruto was playing a part in the wedding, largely against his will. But he respected Hinata and Neji's threats made him nervous, so he found himself an unwilling participant.

Naruto wasn't entirely certain about tonight. But he knew he had to go and he imagined it would be fun, to a point anyway. He hoped to find some time to sneak away and continue his scheming. Much like prior to his "confession" to Sakura, if you could even call it that, Naruto had been planning a large part of their wedding himself…with Sakura's permission. He had begged her to let him do everything but picking who to invite and having anything to do with her dress. She had grumbled briefly and after voicing a few desires, she let him have this one. He promised to let Ino do the flowers and help with the decorations so Sakura felt safe enough to let Naruto run with it.

A part of her was still genuinely surprised at how much effort he was putting into this and just how enthusiastic he was about the entire situation. But, she supposed that he hadn't really changed all that much since they were kids. This was the man who as a child used to beg for dates and had made no secret of his love for her. She figured if he really wanted to do it she would let him, considering how amazing his crystal forest scheme had been to win her over.

Sakura forced herself to stop daydreaming about what Naruto might come up with. No need to get her hopes up in case Naruto only really had the one creative moment in him. Sakura gave one last hurried look in the mirror at herself, gave a disapproving look at Naruto who had managed to look messy in a perfectly neat and clean outfit. She grabbed his hand and virtually dragged him out the door. It was only that Naruto liked holding her hand and a faint sensation he got that she might continue holding it even if it was no longer attached to his arm that kept him following her with any degree of speed. They arrived just in time to not worry Hinata. Naruto was instantly shooed away while the girls congregated together. Lee pounced on Naruto and dragged him to Neji.

The evening was a blur in Naruto's memory as he and Sakura stumbled back towards their apartment. Hinata had looked stunning, Neji had smiled more than he had ever smiled in his life. Naruto had barely stopped from screwing up; it was a quick correction from Lee that saved him in the end. Sakura would have been more disapproving but Hinata hadn't even noticed, her eyes were star struck with Neji. Sakura was mildly disgusted by the palpable love in the room but she realized that with her own wedding coming up she was going to have to get used to it.

They were slowly stumbling back home, Sakura's arm was around Naruto's. Part of the stumble was sheer exhaustion and painful feet from dancing and part of it was a few too many toasts.

"Shit!" Sakura muttered as she lost her balance and used Naruto to steady herself, again.

"Damn Lee and his enthusiasm". Naruto chuckled at her imbalance, and was secretly glad that their excitable friend produced way too many toasts for the newlyweds. Naruto seemed to be holding his buzz slightly better than Sakura, though he did feel very warm and a little floaty. She kept stumbling over "Rocks" that he couldn't see. It was quite endearing to him that such a strong ninja could be unarmed so easily by what appeared to be some champagne and thin air. After what felt like her hundredth trip of the evening Naruto decided to offer to carry her.

"Why don't you let me carry you Sakura!" He said with a big toothy grin.

"Because I can do it myself!" she huffed.

"Of course you can. But Sakura chan…what if you ruin your dress?" It was the only excuse he could think of that might persuade her to let him hold her; especially after the day of hearing her fuss about the importance of nice clothes. That argument worked with her, to his mild surprise, so he scooped her up and continued without incident towards home. Sakura, however, found herself enticed by Naruto being so close and found she couldn't help herself. It started off slowly with a finger trailing slowly on his neck. At first it tickled him and he shook his head to get her to stop, it felt like a bug for peat's sake! Not satisfied she escalated to blowing lightly on his neck. Chills shot down his spine. He looked down at her and at first she was trying to pull off the 'I'm not doing anything' gaze but eventually gave up and grinned at him in a perfect imitation of one of his own.

It was as he was fiddling with his keys that she started to nibble on his neck. The shock caused him to fall forward, which then knocked the door clear out of it's frame but he managed to twist so he was the one to land on the floor. Sakura, paying no mind to the demolition that had just occurred found her new position on top of Naruto to be quite advantageous. She began trailing hot kisses down his neck and onto his partially exposed chest. Naruto felt heat flush into his face while he eyed the door and wondered if it would be ok to just leave it like that. As Sakura's hand traveled lower he decided he couldn't afford split attention so he jumped up, still holding Sakura, propped the door up as best as he could, nudged Sakura on her nose with his and as their breathing started to get heavy, he flung the couch against the door and made a bee-line to the bedroom.


	5. Sweat

WARNING LEMON WARNING SHORT LEMON WARNING LEMON

A/N: I don't know why I rate things as M and then hate writing these parts XD I'm trying something different from my normal style with this and we will see how well it works. I am going for slightly more in the moment with this so less names, less past tense and shorter sentences. Please be kind in your criticism xo

Sweat

They crashed through the bedroom door already feeling hotter than they thought they could bear. The kisses were messy and fast. Senses were heightened, even the gentlest touch sent shockwaves through their nervous systems. Naruto nearly sailed through the air as he landed on the bed, Sakura beneath him, melting into his skin.

Sweat drops were forming, glistening in the moonlight. Two sets of eyes glittered with love. With lust.

Clothing was torn off and discarded quickly, it is not needed here.

Toned bare skin slammed back into toned bare skin, not able to bear being apart.

The kisses were rough and fast. Sweat gathered speed as it traveled down naked bodies.

Hands explored. Soft… silky soft breasts molded into tan hands. Moans escaped, loud in ears so close.

Hands touched manhood, standing tall and proud. Cheeks flushed, with pleasure, anticipation…and greed for more. Please more.

Hips rotate, it's oh so close. The warmth radiates from a glistening entrance, begging, taunting. Please enter.

It's too much, this tension. Kisses are faster, insistent, begging.

It's time.

There is no time.

It's now.

Eyes lock. Love, lust and forever. It's now.

Man meets woman hard and fast. The jolt is amazing. It's like candy running through veins. More. I need more.

Hips move faster.

Fingernails dig into skin.

The breathing is so loud with ears this close.

The kisses…and the sweat.

It's coming. I can feel it.

An end. I want the end badly. I need it.

Nothing else matters but the end.

Tensions at the maximum, we can't take it. We explode. Into one another.

All I know is this feeling. It's amazing and over too soon.

Sweat drops slide down a tan stomach and land on a pale one. It travels down slowly, towards that warm wet entrance.

Eyes lock. Devious grins spread on flushed faces.

Again. Let's go again.

We have all night and I need more.

I need you.

Hot kisses. Fast kisses.

I know what I want.

But I want it to last this time.

Kisses trail downward. A breast enveloped in a hot mouth.

An arched back and pleasure. Noise.

A pale hand grabs for a manhood. It moves fast.

More noise. More sweat.

We can't delay. It's so hard.

It's time.

Man and woman again. United. Forever.

It's going to be a good night.


	6. Aglow

*I'm so sorry this took me as long as it did to write! I go in phases of being really into fan fics and then not so much. I didn't want to ruin the story so I waited until I felt that I could write it. So, here you go.

Aglow

The whole town was buzzing with excitement. Word of how Naruto had finally won Sakura over had long since reached every nook and cranny in Konoha and the speculation about what he would do on their wedding night was rampant. There were bets circulating with people guessing what wild thing Naruto had cooked up.

Summer was ending quickly and fall could be felt on the wind. Sakura had been unusually glad to have her own personal heater sleeping inches from her most nights now and she was looking forward to feeling his warmth for the rest of her life. She could remember nights when they were young genin and she would see Naruto sleeping in the most outrageous positions and become annoyed with him. Now she enjoyed watching him sprawled out, hand on a bare stomach and his mouth wide open. She would watch him and smile and remember why she loved him. Naruto couldn't remember a time in his life when he hadn't felt love, lust and joy when his eyes fell on Sakura and those feelings had only gotten stronger lately.

He would never forget the night not so long ago that they truly spent together as one for the first time. Their friends had immediately noticed a change in them both and it was a running joke for days to accuse them of "glowing". They had a rosy, happy, healthy glow about them ever since that night and no one could let a chance slip by to point it out. It got so bad that even the stoic Neji began joining in. This was where Sakura's patience wore thin and the hospital gained a few extra patients for the day. Naruto grinned at the memory and wiped the sweat off his brow. He had a long day ahead of him and today seemed to be shaping up to be a real scorcher. Yes, fall was on the way but there were still a few brutal days left before summer left them for another year.

Naruto was a little stunned still. He had managed to do what he had long thought was impossible and convince Sakura to give him a chance. Now that every day had been better than the last he had made his mind up to make their big day the biggest anyone in Konoha had ever seen. Sakura had been sequestered away for the day with Ino, Hinata, TenTen and Temari, all of whom were getting pampered in the morning. Afterwards they would spend hours getting ready together; even Tsunade was going to help out. Though Sakura thought that meant she would stand around barking orders.

Naruto hadn't really realized how much work this would be, but he knew that he could pull it off and that it would be completely worth it. It was an unusually hot day for this time of year. Naruto had banked on this being the case and was particularly pleased with his timing. As the sun began to rise in the sky he saw that he would soon be done. He was about to be subjected to his own personal torture of extreme cleaning and scrubbing. Afterwards he would need all the help he could get to figure out his sure-to-be-difficult attire.

Sakura's nerves hadn't hit her yet as Ino and Temari fussed over getting her hair perfect. Hinata smiled up at her while she was fixing Sakura's nails and Sakura noticed nearly all of her shyness had disappeared lately. That made the pinkette smile, she was deeply happy for Hinata. She had found such strength these past few years and she had blossomed even more since her own wedding. She even teased Neji now, much to TenTen and Lee's delight. Preparations were nearly complete when the door slammed open and Tsunade strode in. It was time for her inspection. Sakura exhaled in relief as Tsunade grinned at her. Sakura swore she saw a one-eyed, silver-haired head peak around the door briefly but she wasn't sure.

It was finally time.

Naruto had been poked, prodded and forced into an outfit that he hoped would be acceptable. He was beyond nervous about getting this all right. What if Sakura took one look at what he had done and changed her mind? The thought was enough to nearly double him over in an effort to breathe. He had wanted this for as long as he could remember. That he was getting the chance was more than he had ever realistically thought possible. Now, that he was so close to one of his sweetest dreams, he was terrified of losing it. Losing her.

Sakura's nerves had begun to hit her. Everything had been just fine, she wasn't nervous at all. She was marrying her best friend. The man who made her laugh constantly, the man who she would lay her life on the line for and the man that she knew would do the same for her. There had been _no_ reason to be nervous. However, as the time drew closer and the bigger the deal people made about this the more nervous she became. A thousand what-ifs ricocheted around her head. All of the things that she had done wrong stuck out in her memory. Could she actually do this? Could she walk down that aisle...would there be an aisle? The uncertainty brought her back to reality a little bit. It didn't matter, nothing mattered! Except that she was going to walk to Naruto soon and marry him. Yup, the nerves were normal and she would ignore them.

The whole town had gathered. Naruto stood where he would be joined with Sakura next to all his friends. His idea of groomsmen was a little outrageous, but so was nearly every idea he had. Sakura's bridesmaids walked out first, equally ignorant to what they would see. First TenTen, then Hinata, then Temari and then it was just Ino left before Sakura's turn. Ino looked back and smiled deviously at Sakura and winked once before she walked out into the unknown. Sakura would later thank her for that smile, since it knocked the nerves out of her and made her contemplate violence, which was a much more comfortable feeling for Sakura. Then it was her turn, no time to waste! She took her first step towards her new life.

When she stepped outside she nearly stumbled when she saw what Naruto had done. He had re-created the festival that had started this amazing life for them. There were strings of white lights hanging from everywhere. The townspeople were dressed in festival clothing and the smell of festival food was wafting from somewhere nearby. But, the most breath-taking part of the festival, which had been such a private thing for them, was now on display for the whole town. Everything was encased in a glimmering layer of ice and because it was high noon the sun glittered off of everything. It was perhaps the most stunning thing she had ever seen. On the gentle and surprisingly hot breeze, small petals made entirely of ice floated through the area. She caught one, momentarily forgetting where she was or that she was supposed to move forward. It was a sakura petal.

She smiled so genuinely that a quiet "aww" rumbled through the crowd. It was then that she remembered where she was, blushed and looked up. Instead of seeing the crowd, or the decorations, or a rather long line of her friends, she saw only Naruto who was smiling at her, beaming really. All of his fears had disappeared when he saw her reaction. He must have done something right for once. Sakura's fears melted when her eyes locked with his. He was the most amazing man she had ever laid eyes on today but that wasn't what mattered anymore. He could have been fresh home from a sparring session and she still would have felt this feeling when her emerald eyes locked with his azure orbs.

This was it.

All of the years of trouble, all of the pain and the hurting and the wars disappeared. All of her worries about what he actually thought about some of the things that she had done vanished. What she saw was the other half of her life, her heart, and her soul. Sakura gathered whatever garment she had been dressed in (she'd forgotten) and rocketed down the aisle. The crowd may have chuckled, but she didn't hear them. Instead of standing across from Naruto, she barreled into him and kissed him a little too deeply. After a moment, Tsunade separated them and began the ceremony that would change their lives forever.

The party afterwards lasted all day and well into the night. When it was time to say good night, Naruto swooped Sakura off of her feet and began carrying her towards their home. As soon as he began walking away with her, fireworks were set off, re-illuminating the crystallized town. Konoha had never been so beautiful as it was that night. Though it was lost on the two Uzumakis who were lost in each other's eyes.

*Thank you for reading! This was supposed to be a one-shot but I ended up really enjoying this story. I tried so hard to finish this last chapter and it took me way too long, sorry! I wanted it to be perfect and I realized that I just couldn't envision perfect. So I ended it with the same way I began it, which came from waking up to find the forest encased in ice and watching the sun glitter off the branches...which was how the idea for this story came to me. I've changed the story to "complete". What this means from me is that the main story is done and I feel no more "obligation" if you will, to continue it. I have on other stories added epilogue like chapters, but there is no promise of that.


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